EVERTON team-mates Phil Jagielka and Steven Naismith may be pals, but they will go toe-to-toe for the first time tomorrow night when England and Scotland clash at Celtic Park in a friendly that will be anything but.

Ahead of the game Starsport's Chris McKenna sat down with the England defender and Scotland forward to hear their thoughts.

CHRIS McKENNA: "So heading into the game, are you looking forward to playing each other?"

STEVEN NAISMITH: "Erm, it is going to be strange. I can't think if I've done it too many times in my career. It will be a weird experience when you're going for balls together and I'm sure you'll not be thinking about all the banter that goes on, you'll be thinking about the game and after the game it will be back to normal being mates again I suppose."

PHIL JAGIELKA: "Last time we played Scotland at Wembley, I was looking forward to playing against Naisy but the Scottish team changed around a bit so the banter before the game sort of got subsided. Naisy is in fantastic form, his confidence is high and I would much prefer him not to be that confident playing against England but it is brilliant for our club."

CLASH: England's Phil Jagielka will be at the heart of the Three Lions' defence [GETTY]

SN: "I think you're focused on the job at hand but when the ball goes out of play or there is a break in play then you might say a few words but during the game you'll have forgot you're playing against Jags or Bainesy [Leighton Baines] or whoever'."

PJ: "You've got enough on your plate than thinking what jokes I can tell him but if little opportunities happen during the game you might share a word. It depends how well he is doing, if he is doing really well then no chance! [laughing] If we are doing alright then I'll go looking for him to give him a bit of stick."

SN: "We will keep it till we get back here and start talking about the game I'm sure."

CM: "It is a friendly in name but not in reality?"

SN: "I think because there hasn't been a Scotland-England game for a while before the last one [August 2013, England won 3-2], it makes them that wee bit more special and it is a like a return leg from last season."

PJ: "I'm sure the texts will start flying. As soon as the game starts, there will be a couple of words said in the handshake."

SN: "Definitely!"

ATTACK: Steven Naismith will be leading the Scottish attack [GETTY]

PJ: "We both want to go out there and be the one at the end of the game who is desperate to get back to the training ground as quickly as possible with the biggest smile on our face."

CM: "Phil, what have you made of Steven's improvement? He has made himself an important player for club and country?"

PJ: "I don't think it is just this season, I think last season too. When he first came, he came off a bad injury and didn't get the run of games that he would have liked, and as soon as he got that run of games he got his confidence up. He's been a massive part to the good stuff we've done this season but hopefully he has a pretty off day when we play against Scotland [both laughing]."

CM: "Steven, how has playing with a better quality of player at club level helped you internationally?"

SN: "It does. That is probably something, going into the England game that will help. Most of the Scotland team play in England so we're used to playing against English players. You come up against these players week in week out so you know what you're going to get on the night but it does make you a better player. I'm definitely a better player now than when I came to the English league."

CM: "Phil, even though there is a rivalry, do you like seeing Scotland back up there?"

PJ: "Yeah definitely. My granddad was Scottish as well so I have an added incentive there."

SN: "We should have signed him up, we should have signed him up!"

PJ: "It's nice that when he goes away rather than not looking forward to it and not enjoying it, he goes away and scores goals and nicked another, I don't know if he got a touch on that one against Germany [in Scotland's 2-1 defeat this season], but he said he did."

SN: "I did aye!"

PJ: "Things like that, that breeds confidence and when he comes back he has got a smile on his face and maybe previously he was going away and coming back jaded and down but now Scotland have got the nucleus of a good squad and they are looking forward rather than back."

CM: "Phil has now said all that nice stuff Steven, but as a Scot looking at the World Cup and England struggling, surely there was a smile or two even though your mates were hurting?"

SN: "Erm... no to be honest, when you watch a World Cup you take more of an interest in the teams that your team-mates are in. It is just inevitable that happens because you want to see them do well. You watched Tim [Howard] as well who had a fantastic tournament and against Belgium and in that game Rom [Romelu Lukaku] and Kev [Kevin Mirallas] played. You can definitely put the rivalry aside when you're not involved."